Martha Stewart gives American Eagle a holiday reset

American Eagle is trying to shift the conversation around its holiday marketing. After an advert featuring Sydney Sweeney sparked backlash for allegedly glorifying eugenics and promoting whiteness, the retailer has tapped Martha Stewart, the 83-year-old lifestyle mogul, to front its seasonal campaign.

It is a strategic pivot. Stewart has spent decades shaping the look and feel of American holidays through her books, television shows and the long-running Martha Stewart Living magazine. Her work on cooking, décor and hosting helped define the modern domestic aesthetic, and her branded collections have kept her influence visible in shops long after her media heyday.

"I have spent decades helping people create beautiful holidays — from setting the perfect table to trimming the tree to finding that last-minute gift that saves the day," she told People magazine. "So when American Eagle approached me about being part of their holiday gifting campaign, I was immediately intrigued."

The new 30-second commercial leans into Stewart’s visual world. She appears in an all denim outfit inside a denim themed wrapping studio, preparing gifts and declaring this the season of the “perfect fit.” The YouTube description captures the tone: “When the gift is jeans, it’s always giving.” She told People the all denim concept was “playful, smart and whimsical.”

The brand is still standing by its earlier “great jeans/genes” advert with Sweeney. On Instagram it said the campaign “is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story. We’ll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone.”

The choice of Stewart signals a familiar trend in marketing: when controversy hits, shift to nostalgia, warmth and a cultural icon. For American Eagle, it is also a reminder that the holiday season is less about risk taking and more about reassuring shoppers that the brand still understands the mood of the moment.